Disposable cleaning swab and holder therefor



Dec. 17, 1957 G. P. BECK ETAL DISPOSABLE CLEANING SWAB AND HOLDERTHEREFOR Filed Nov. 9 1951 A? /5 @WM 2 Sheets-Sheet l United StatesPatent @fiice 2,816,313 Patented Dec. 17, 1957 DISPOSABLE CLEANING SWABAND HOLDER THEREFOR Gasper Paul Beck, Highland .Park, Robert W. Johnson,Jr., Piscataway Township, .Middlesex County, Viggo I. Korsgaard,Middlesex, and Roland R. Nydegger, Metuchen, N. J., assignors toPersonal Products Qorporation, a corporation of New Jersey ApplicationNovember 9, 1951, Serial No. 255,652

11Claims. (CL 15-210) The present invention relates to cleaning deviceshaving disposable cleaning elements and more particularly to devicessuitable for cleaning toilet bowls and the like.

Copending application Serial No. 214,918, filed March 19, 1951, andcontaining the broader claims discloses acleaning swab comprising a padconstructed, folded and seamed in the form of a pouch or bag. This bagswab has internal flaps adapted to be latched automatically to a catchor catches on the head of a 'holder when the swab is slipped on saidhead to retain the swab securely thereon during use. The bag swab isconstructed to permit it to be easily ruptured and opened up, so that itcan be removed from the holder head and dropped in the toilet bowl fordisposal. For rupturing the bag swab so that it can be removed from theholder head for disposal, said head is constructed with relativelymovable parts.

The present invention is a modified form of cleaning device disclosed inthe aforesaid copending application and has for its object to provide acleaning swab which is of the general type disclosed in said copendingapplication but which does not require a holder with relatively movablehead parts to rupture the swab when it is desired to remove the swabfrom the holder and to dispose of the swab.

In accordance with certain of the broader features of the presentinvention, a string is provided in combination with the cleaning swab,located and arranged with respect to the swab, so as not to interferewith its cleaning operation, and manipulable to cause said swab to beruptured by the string While on the holder head and to permit therebyready disposal of said swab.

in one form of the invention, the string is built into the swab to forma disposable unit therewith and is so arranged with respect thereto thatwhen the swab is slipped over the head of the holder, the string is madeto extend from the swab along the handle portion of the holder to anattachment point. After the cleaning operations have been completed, thestring is released from the attachment point and pulled away from thehandle and head parts of the holder, to rupture the swab, so that it canbe removed from the head of the holder and dropped in the toilet bowlwith the string for disposal.

In accordance with another form of the invention, the string is separatefrom the swab but is attached at one end to the head of the holder,while the other free end is adapted to be removably fastened to anattachment point on the handle or grip part of the holder. The swab isslipped over the head of the holder for latch attachment thereto andover the part of the string extending along said head. After thecleaning operations have been completed, the string is released from theattachment point on the holder and is manipulated to rupture the swaband cause its removal from the holder head for disposal purposes. Thestring remains on the holder and can be used indefinitely for successiveswabs.

Various other objects, features and advantages of the invention areapparent from the following particular description and from aninspection of the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. l is a face view of a flat composite pad from which a form of bagswab with a built-in string embodying the present invention may beconstructed, said pad comprising a filler mat, a wrap sheet therefor,and a string secured to the mat and the sheet and extending therealong;

Fig. 2 is a section of the composite pad taken on lines 2-2 of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a face view of the composite pad after the end sections of thewrap sheet have been folded over the filler mat and the side edges ofsaid end sections have been adhesively secured to the side edges of themain body of said wrap sheet to define flaps in the final swabconstruction;

Fig. 4 is a face view of the bag swab made by doubly folding the pad ofFig. 3 and adhesively securing its side edges together and shown withthe built-in rupturing string extending therefrom;

Fig. 5 is a section of the bag swab taken on lines 55 of Fig. 4 butshown on a larger scale;

Fig. 6 is a perspective showing the bag swab of Figs. 4 and 5 slipped onand latched to the head of a holder in preparation for cleaning use;

Fig. 7 is a face view of the head of the holder shown with the bag swabattached thereto and with part of the swab broken away to reveal thelatch attachment between said holder head and said swab;

Fig. 8 is a section of the combined holder head and bag swab taken alonglines '88 of Fig. 7;

Fig. 9 is a perspective of a form of holder head which may be employedin connection with the cleaner swab of Figs. 18 having the built-inrupturing string;

Fig. 10 is a perspective of another form of holder head which may beemployed in connection with the cleaner swab of Figs. 1 to 8 having thebuilt-in rupturing string;

Fig. 11 is a face view of another form of cleaner swab similar tothat ofFigs. 1 to 8, except that it has no builtin rupturing string; and

Fig. 12 is a perspective of a form of holder with attached stringseparate from the cleaner swab and adapted to rupture said swab.

Referring to Figs. 13 of the drawings, the cleaner swab is constructedfrom a flat composite laminated pad 10 made up of a filler 11 in theform of a flat flexible mat and a flexible wrap sheet 12 therefor. Thefiller mat 11 serves as the padding for the swab and is desirably ofsoft material to yield into conformance with irregularities in thesurfaces being cleaned. The filler mat 11, however, must have sufiicientbody to permit sustained effective cleaning therewith and should be madeof a material which is at least readily fiushable in a toilet bowl, sothat it will not clog the plumbing. Desirably, it should be made of anabsorbent material readily disintegrable when wet. For that reason, thefiller mat Ill consists essentially of a realtively thick sheet or layer13 of material which may be macerated cellulose, such as wood pulp,molded or pressed in flat rectangular form. in a specific form, thisparticular filler sheet 13 may be about 6% inches long, 2% inches wideand about A. inch thick.

In order to retain the particles of the filler mat 13 against rapiddisintegration or separation during manufacture, storage, transportationor use, a sheet or napkin 14, of very thin paper which is at leastfiushable and which is desirably water-disintegrable, is envelopedaround the filler sheet 13, with its longitudinal margins overlapping toform the fluff type filler mat it. This envelope sheet 14 is desirably afacial tissue, self-disintegrable when wet, and has a lengthc'o-extensive with the length of the tiller sheet so'that its ends areflush with the ends of the tiller sheet 13.

Instead of the wood pulp filler being enveloped in the tissue 14, it mayhave one or more sheets of tissues at the top and at the bottom thereof,or it may be held together merely by a compression pattern in the formof a grid, or the entire filler mat may consist of a number of thinfacial tissues similar to the tissues 14 arranged in a stack to form apadding mat for the swab. These superposed tissues could be folded withtheir longitudinal margins overlapping to produce a mat of the desiredthickness.

The wrap sheet 12 is desirably of thin flexible pa er easily fiushablein a toilet bowl but nevertheless rugged and strong enough to withstandcleaning or scrubbing pressure during use. A partially bleached ropepaper weighing lbs. per 1000 square feet and impregnated with a suitableresin, such as urea-formaldehyde or melamine, to impart to the paper therequired degree of wet strength has been found satisfactory for thepurpose, although any paper which is capable of being similarlyprocessed and which will give equivalent service will suffice.

The wrap sheet 12 is also impregnated with a suitable detergent which iscompatible with the resin with which the sheet is treated for control ofwet strength. A suitable composition for the purpose is Antorox A-400,which is an ethylene oxide condensation product of substituted phenolshaving an approximate molecular weight of 660 and which is in the classof non-ionic detergents. The non-ionic class of liquid detergents isdesirable because of its foaming action, permitting high degree of paperimpregnation. However, an ionic detergent may be used if it iscompatible with the resin with which the sheet is treated for control ofWet strength.

On its outside scrubbing or cleaning surface, the wrap sheet 12 isdesirably coated with a foaming agent, and a suitable composition forthe purpose is Orvus Paste, consisting essentially of sodium laurylsulphate in the class of anionic solid detergents, which will foam butwill not give a high degree of impregnation.

The wrap sheet 12 is also treated with a water soluble bluing dye,similar to that used for laundry purposes, to whiten the surfacescleaned by the swab of the present invention.

The wrap sheet 12 could contain, if desired, one or more materials suchas a suitable disinfectant, a scouring agent such as pumice ordiatomaceous earth, and a perfume.

The filler mat 11 is in flat rectangular form and the wrap sheet 12 isrectangular except for four rectangular cut-outs or recesses 15 in thecorners of the sheet and in a specific form is about 11 inches long andfour inches wide across its center. The recesses 15 in the wrap sheet 12are about 1% inches long.

The filler mat 11 is laid centrally on the inner face of the wrap sheet12 with the overlapping margins of the tissues 14 of the filler matagainst said face. The wrap sheet 12 is wider than the filler mat 11 todefine longitudinal edge margins 16 on said sheet projecting beyond saidmat and is longer than said filler mat to define end sections 17projecting beyond the filler mat 11. The end sections 17 of the wrapsheet 12 are slightly Wider than the filler mat 11 by the extent of thinmargins 13 along the sides of said end sections.

The longitudinal edge margins 16 and 18 of the wrap sheet 12 on itsinner face have a layer of adhesive which is strong enough to hold theseams together, while the swab is undergoing the usual period of use,but which is weak enough to permit rupture of the swab easily along theseams when the swab is wet and ready for disposal. More specifically,this adhesive may be a thermosetting material, such as ureaformaldehydeor polyvinyl acetate, to facilitate manufacture of the swab.

Figs. 1 and 2 show the composite pad 10 with its component partsassembled and ready to be folded and seamed to make the bag swab. Toproduce a bag swab with a built-in rupturing string, a string 19 of therequired length and of sufficient strength to withstand the tensionthereon in the operation of rupturing the swab is laid along thecomposite pad 10 in its initial form shown in Figs. 1 and 2. This string19 which may be of any suitable material, as for example of fibrousmaterial such as silk, cotton, linen, or of plastic such as nylon, islaid preferably off-center on the composite pad 10 near one longitudinalside of said pad and is secured in this position to the filler mat 11and the wrap sheet 12, as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, by adhesive of thetype which is not materially weakened by the water during cleaningaction. One end of the string 19 is flush with one end of the wrap sheet12, while the other end extends beyond the corresponding end of saidwrap sheet to define a string section 21 long enough to extend to thegrip end of the holder in attached position of the swab, as will be morefully described.

With the composite pad 10 and string 19 arranged and adhesively securedtogether as described and shown in Figs. 1 and 2, the projecting endsections 1'7 of the wrap sheet 12 with adhesively attached stringsections are folded inwardly over the ends of the filler mat 11 toretain said mat in proper position on said wrap sheet and to defineholder engageable flaps, as will be more fully described. The margins 18of these flaps 17 are secured to the ad hesively coated margins 16 ofthe main body of the wrap sheet through the adhesive, so that the sidesof said flaps are closed as shown in Fig. 3. In this preliminary foldedposition shown in Fig. 3, due to the presence of the recesses 15 in thewrap sheet, the portion 20 of the adhesively coated margin 16 of thewrap sheet along the side of each flap 17 will project beyond said flapside and will serve the purpose to be made apparent. Also in thispreliminary folded position, one end section 22 of the string 19 will bedoubly folded and retained between one flap 17 and the inner face of thebody of the pad and the intermediate section 23 of said string will bedoubly folded and retained between the other flap 17 and the inner faceof the body of the pad, as shown in Fig. 3.

The pad shown in Fig. 3 is then folded upon itself along its transversecenter line, as shown in Figs. 4 and 5, to bring the flaps 17 togetherin face to face contact. By application of heat and pressure, the facingjuxtaposed overlapping margins 16, including the portions 20 thereof,are secured together by the thermoplastic adhesive on these margins toform plain lap seams 24 along the sides of the pad, thus forming a pouchor bag swab 25 with the wrap sheet 12 on the outside to define a scrubsheet and with the filler mat 11 on the inside to form a lining orbacking for the scrub sheet. It should be noted that the filler mat 11is entirely enclosed and protected against separation from the wrapsheet as well as against disintegration. Because of the presence of theadhesively coated portions 20 of the sheet margins 16 which projectbeyond the sides of the flaps 17, the folded pad will be closed entirelyalong its sides. The filler mat 11 in the resultant swab 25 will beretained against separation from the wrap sheet 12 and againstdisintegration during use by the seams 24 along its sides and by theflaps 17 folded over the ends of said mat. These flaps 17 serve not onlyto protect the filler mat 11 as indicated but in addition are intendedto be latched to a projection or projections on the holder head, whenthe swab 25 is slipped over said head.

In doubly folded pouch or bag position of the pad shown in Figs. 4 and5, the section 21 of the string 19 will project from the pocket and fromthe mouth of the bag swab.

Figs. 6 to 9 show a type of holder 30 which is advantageously employedin connection with the pouch or bag swab 25. This holder 30 is about 15inches long and is desirably made of a material which can be easilycleaned and kept sanitary. For that reason, it is desirable to make theholder 30 of suitable moldable plastic material, such as polystyrene.

In the specific embodiment shown, the holder 30is in the general form ofa spoon or spatula and comprisesahead-Sl adapted to be hooded or coveredby the swab 25 and a handle or shank 32 therefor terminatingin a gripportion 33. The head 31 is offset from the shank 32 and is generally inthe form of a lyre having a pair of hooks, spurs or fiukes 34 adapted,to catch on to the flaps 17 of the bag swab 25 when the latter isslipped over the head. The forward edge 35 of the head 31 is convexlycurved and the sides of the fiukes 34 are inclined with respect to thelongitudinal axis of theholder 30 to taper said end for easy entry ofthe head 31 into the pocket of the swab 25.

The outer end of the grip portion 33 of the holder 30 carries a button36 aroundwhich the free end of the rupturing string 19 of the swab isadapted to be wound in cleaning position of the swab on the holder 30,as shown in Fig. 6.

In preparing the cleaning device for use, a bag swab 25 with a built-inrupturing string 19 is slipped over the head of the holder 30. When theswab is in place, the ends 40 of its internal flaps 17 extend beyond theends of the flukes 34. Since the opposed flaps 17 converge towards theside seams 24 of the bag swab 25, these flap ,ends 40 near said seamsacross the flukes 34 on the holder head 31 and catch on to said flukes,as shown in Figs. 7 and 8. The swab 25 is thereby latched and locked tothe holder head 31 and cannot be removed therefrom without rupturing theswab. The section 21 of the string 19 will project outwardly from themouth of the swab 25 when said swab is latched on to the holder head 31in the manner described. This projecting string section 21 is extendedalong the shank or handle 32 of the holder 31) and its free end isanchored by winding it around the button 36 on said handle, as shown inFig. 6. The cleaning device with the string 19 so arranged can be usedwithout interference from said string.

The holder 34) and the swab 25 attached thereto form a cleaning devicewhich can be conveniently handled. For example, in cleaning a toiletbowl, the swab 25 is dipped into the water in said bowl to render thedetergents on the wrap sheet 12 active and to dissolve the bluingthereon. The cleaning head can then be manipulated by passing the swabover the surfaces to be cleaned. The wrap sheet 12 presents an effectiverubbing or scrubbing surface and the filler mat 11 supplies thenecessary body to the swab and also permits it to be deformed to conformwith the irregularities in the surfaces being cleaned. The wrap sheet 12is impervious to the passage of filler material therethrough even whensaid sheet and said filler are wet, so that disintegration of the fillermat cannot take place during normal period of use. The holder head 31constitutes the bulk of the cleaning element and affords the necessarybacking and support for the thin-walled swab 25, so that substantialpressure can be supplied to the swab through the holder, while the swabretains its general form. The filler mat 11 tends to disintegrate uponbeing wet but is retained against disintegration by the protectiveenveloping action of the wrap sheet 12.

After the cleaning operation has been completed, the end of the string19 is unwound from the button 36, and the projecting section 21 of thestring is pulled in a direction substantially at right angles to thegeneral plane of the holder head 31 and away therefrom to cause thepanel section of the swab 25 directly connected to the base end of thestring section 21 and located on one face of the holder head 31 to breakalong the seam 24 nearest to the string 19 and away from the panelsection of the swab 25 on opposite face of the holder head.

The breaking of the seam 24 nearest to the string 19 can also beaccomplished by pulling the projecting section 21 of the string 19sideways of the holder 30 to cause said string to pass between theoverlapping swab parts of said seam and to rip thereby said seam open.

I 6 After the initialseam opening manipulation of the pr'o jectingsection 21 of the string 19 as described, thisprojecting string sectionis continued to be pulled in any direction that will cause the swab tobe more completely ruptured and to be pulled off the head 31 of theholder 30. The ruptured swab with the string 19 attached thereto is thendropped into the toilet bowl. Since the'ruptured swab in the bowl isopened up, the filler mat 11 will be exposed to the disintegratingaction of the water in the bowl, thereby causing the components of theswab and the rupturing string to be easily washed away by flushingwithout the danger of clogging the drain.

'Fig. 10 shows another type of holder 31% with a head '31 which can beused in connection with the pouch or 'bag swab 25 having the built-instring 19 as shown in 'Figs. 1-8. This holder head 31 is in the form ofa flat plate having a rounded forward edge 35 to permit its easy entryinto the pocket of the swab 25 and having a spot 42 extending from oneface of said plate and shown in the form of a wedge tapeding towards theforward end of the holder to merge at one end into the face of theholder head 31 and defining at its opposite rear end a catch shoulder43.

In use, the swab 25 is slipped over the holder head 31 as far as it willgo, so that the holder head will be located between the flaps 17 and thespur 42 will be located inwardly beyond the edges of these flaps inposition to cause its catch shoulder 43 to engage one of said edgesmidway between the seamed sides of the swab before the swab is withdrawntoo far from said holder head. The swab 25 is therefore retained on theholder head 31 during normal cleaning operations, with the built-instring 19 projecting from the swab and extending along the shank orhandle of the holder 30 and the free end of said string attached to abutton or other anchor device (not shown) on the handle.

After cleaning operations, the swab 25 can be ruptured by tensionalmanipulation of the string 19 and pulled off the holder head 31 fordisposal, as described in connection with the construction of Figs. 19.

In the cleaning devices of Figs. l-lO, the string 19 is built into theswab 25 to form a disposable unit therewith. In the cleaning device ofFigs. 11 and 12, the swab 25 is exactly of the same construction, exceptfor the absence of the built-in rupturing string. Instead, a rupturingstring 19 is provided, forming a unit separate from the swab 25 andattached to the holder used in conjunction with this swab 25 to form apermanent unit therewith. This modified form of construction facilitatesmanufacture of the swab 25 and permits reuse of the same stringindefinitely, thereby effecting economy. The modified constructionillustrated may be employed in connection with either of the types ofholders shown in Figs. 9 and 10. Specifically, it is shown in Fig. 12with a holder 30 made desirably of plastic such as polystyrene, andhaving a lyre head 31 similar to that of Fig. 9.. This holder 30 has ashank or handle 32 and a grip portion 33 provided at its outer end witha V-notch 45 for receiving the outer free end of the swab-rupturingstring 19*. A button 36 secured to the underside of the grip portion 33near but inwardly beyond the apex of the Vanotch 45 serves as anattachment or anchoring post for the outer end of the string 19 when theholder 30 is not in use or when the holder is set up with the cleaningswab 25 latched to the head 31' of said holder.

The swab-rupturing string 19 may be made of fibrous material such assilk, cotton, linen or the like or may be of metal in the form of awire, but is desirably of plastic and specifically of nylon.

One end of this string 19 is permanently anchored to the holder head 31at its forward edge by any suitable means, and is shown fastened incentral position with re spect to said head, so that the string extendscentrally along the holder 30*! when the holder is not in use, as

shown in Fig. 12 or when the holder is set up with the swab 25 latchedthereto in preparation for cleaning.

To set up the device of Figs. 11 and 12 for cleaning, While the string1% extends along the holder 30 and while the free end of said string isfastened to the button 36 or other attaching device employed, as shownin Fig. 12, the swab 25 is slipped over the holder head 31* until it islatched thereto, as described in conjunction with the device of Figs. 1to 9. The string 19 positioned as described does not interfere with thequick automatic latching of the swab 25 onto the holder head 31 and willextend along the swab midway between its side seams 24 After thecleaning device has been used in the manner described in connection withFigs. 1-9, the free end of the string 19 is released from attachment tothe button 36 and the string 19 is manipulated to rupture the swab. Themanipulation of the string 19 for this purpose may be effected bypulling the string sideways of the swab 25 first in one side directionand then in the other to cause the side seams 24 of the swab to beopened by the shearing action of the string between the superposedlayers of said scams, or may be effected by pulling the string away fromthe holder head 31* in a direction to draw the top panel of the swab onone side of the holder head away from the other panel of the swab on theopposite side of the holder head and to break the side seams 24 open.Depending on the strength and character of the side seams 24 and thestrength of the wrap sheet on the swab 25 the string 1% may be pulled inany direction to give any tear action desired, either by breaking of theseams as indicated or by the tearing of the wrap sheet. After theinitial rupture of the swab 25 has been effected, the string 19 can befurther pulled and manipulated in different directions to cause theruptured swab to drop off the holder head 3:1 and into the bowl Where itcan be easily flushed.

While the invention has been described with particular reference tospecific embodiments, it is to be understood that it is not to belimited thereto but is to be construed broadly and restricted solely bythe scope of the appended claims.

What is claimed is:

l. A cleaning device comprising a disposable cleaning swab flushableafter use in a toilet bowl and in the form of an open-top bag adapted tohe slipped over and to enclose the head of a holder, said bag comprisinga thin flexible scrub sheet immune to water disintegration during thenormal period of use of the swab and being wear-resistant and tearresistant when wet to maintain its integrity during such period, and alining sheet of soft comformable water disintegrable material toseparate the scrub sheet from the holder head when the swab is in placethereon, and a string secured to the swab for rupturing the swab, saidswab comprising a composite pad having said sheets in face to facecontact, and said string being built into said swab by extending alongsaid pad, with one end section projecting beyond one end of the pad,said pad being doubly folded with the scrub sheet on the outside and thesides of the folded pad where the side portions of the pad come face toface being seamed, to form the bag with the end section of the stringprojecting from the open end of the bag.

2. A cleaning device comprising a disposable cleaning swab flushableafter use in a toilet bowl and comprising a thin flexible scrub sheetfolded across its width and sealed along its marginal edge portions toform a flat open-top bag to receive a shaping and reinforcing head of aholder, one end of the scrub sheet being turned inwardly between theoverlapping fold sections to form an internal flap adapted to be latchedto the holder head when the swab is in place thereon, and a string builtinto the swab and having an end section projecting therefrom andmanipulable to rupture the swab while on the holder head, said stringhaving its other section secured to and extending along the swab on theinside thereof,

as a portion of said latter end string section being doubly folded andextending between the inner face of said flap and the body part of theswab and a succeeding string portion passing along the outer face ofsaid flap towards the mouth of the swab and connecting into saidprojecting string end section.

3. A cleaning device comprising a disposable cleaning swab flushableafter use in a toilet bowl and comprising a thin flexible scrub sheetfolded across its width and sealed along its marginal edge portions toform a flat open-top bag to receive a shaping and reinforcing head of aholder, the opposite ends of the scrub sheet being turned inwardlybetween the overlapping fold sections to form internal flaps adapted tobe latched to the holder head when the swab is in place thereon, and astring built into the swab and having an end section projectingtherefrom and manipulable to rupture the swab while on the holder head,said string having its other end section secured to and extending alongthe swab on the inside thereof, a terminal portion of said latter endstring section being doubly folded and extending between the inner faceof one of said flaps and the body part of the swab, an intermediateportion of said latter end string section extending in a single lengthalong said body part between said fiaps, a succeeding portion of saidlatter end string section being doubly folded and extending between theinner face of the other flap and said body part and the next portion ofsaid latter end string section passing along the outer face of thelatter flap towards the mouth of the swab and connecting into saidprojecting string end section.

4. A cleaning device comprising in combination, a swab holder having ahead, a disposable rupturable swab preformed with a cavity to receivethe holder head, said swab being flushable after use in a toilet bowl,means for securing the swab to the holder head against easy releaseexcept by mechanical rupture of the swab, and a string extending at oneend along the holder head in the inside of the swab when the swab isattached to the holder head and having a portion projecting from theswab in attached position, said string being manipulable to rupture theswab while on the head of the holder and to assist in the removal of theswab from the holder head.

5. The combination of a disposable cleaning swab fiushable after use ina toilet bowl and adapted to be attached to a holder, said swab beingformed with a cavity open at an outer portion before attachment to theholder to permit said swab to he slipped in this form over the head ofthe holder, said swab comprising a pair of opposed substantially flatpanels secured together at opposite sides by impermanent means free ofstitching and defining therebetween said cavity, means for securing theinside of the swab to the head of the holder against easy release exceptby mechanical rupture of the swab, and a string for rupturing the swabwhile on the handle head and for assisting in its removal from theholder head, said string extending into the cavity of the swab betweenthe sides thereof when the swab is slipped over the holder head andbeing selectively manipulable in one direction to pull one panel awayfrom the holder head and thereby to break the latter panel away from theopposite panel or sideways of the swab to break open the swab along oneside, whereby the swab may be ruptured while on the holder head and theruptured swab removed from the holder head.

6. A cleaning device comprising a disposable cleaning swab flushableafter use in a toilet bowl and adapted to be attached to a holder, saidswab being formed with a pair of opposed panels secured together atleast at one side before attachment to the holder to define a cavitybetween the panels to receive the head of the holder, the sides of saidswab being free of stitched seams, one outer portion of the swab beingopen to permit the swab to be slipped over the head of the holder, saidswab having means for securing the swab to the head of the holder andfor preventing easy removal of the swab from the head of the holderexcept by mechanical rupture of the swab, and a swab rupturing stringbuilt into the swab to form a unit therewith separate from the holder.

7. A cleaning device comprising a disposable cleaning swab flushableafter use in a toilet bowl and adapted to be attached to a holder, saidswab being in the form of an open-top bag before attachment to a holderto permit the swab to be slipped over and to enclose the head of theholder, said swab having means for latching itself automatically to thehead of the holder when the swab is slipped over the head of the holder,and a string secured to the swab to form a unit therewith and having asection extending into the cavity of the swab and a section projectingfrom the open end thereof and manipulable while the swab is on theholder head to rupture the swab and to pull it away from the holderhead.

8. The combination as set forth in claim 4, wherein the securing meanscomprises means for latching the swab to the holder head and foreffecting thereby positive interlock between the swab and the handleautomatically when the swab is slipped over the holder head.

9. The combination as set forth in claim 4, wherein the securing meanscomprises a catch on the head of the holder and an internal flap in thecavity of the swab adapted to be latched onto the catch.

10. The combination as set forth in claim 4, wherein the swab has a pairof opposed substantially fiat panels defining the cavity therebetween,said string engaging the inner face of one of said panels and beingadapted to extend between the holder head and the latter panel when theswab is slipped over the holder head, said string being anchored inposition to cause the latter panel to be pulled away from the otherpanel when the string is pulled away from the said other panel torupture the swab.

11. The combination as set forth in claim 4, wherein the swab rupturingstring is secured at one end to the holder head and is adapted to extendalong the holder head to an attachment point on the holder head.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS700,939 Johnson May 27, 1902 1,407,102 Viden Feb. 21, 1922 2,057,500OConnor Oct. 13, 1936 2,101,072 Kingman Dec. 7, 1937 2,102,858Schlumbohm Dec. 21, 1937 2,531,304 Seewald Nov. 21, 1950 2,560,649Hornaday July 17, 1951 2,635,274 Hatcher Apr. 21, 1953

